Sari (incomplete) thumbnail 1
Not on display

Sari (incomplete)

Sari
c.1855 (Made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Dhaka (Made)
Bangladesh (made)

Half of a sari, with minor end. Muslin patterned with discontinuous cotton weft (jamdani). Finely worked pattern of white butis on a white field, with blue borders and two corner kalkas. The complete sari had corner kalkas at both ends, these being the smaller pair.

Object details

Categories
Textiles
Clothing
Womenswear
India Museum
Object type
Sari
TitleSari (incomplete) (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Cotton
Muslin
Jamdani
Brief description
Part of a blue and white jamdani sari, Dhaka, c.1855; Textiles; Clothing; Women's Clothes
Physical description
Half of a sari, with minor end. Muslin patterned with discontinuous cotton weft (jamdani). Finely worked pattern of white butis on a white field, with blue borders and two corner kalkas. The complete sari had corner kalkas at both ends, these being the smaller pair.
Dimensions
  • Length: 255cm
  • Width: 105cm
28 ends p/cm, 22 picks p/cm
Gallery label
(03/10/2015-10/01/2016)
JAMDANI SARI

Most Bengali muslins were woven as plain undecorated lengths but some were also patterned in the jamdani technique. In this distinctive weave, extra weft threads are inserted by hand to create patterns (‘brocading’). Jamdani weavers are traditionally Muslim men, while the weavers of plain muslin are Hindus.

Cotton (jamdani weave)
Dhaka, Bangladesh, 1855–79
V&A: 9632 (IS)
Object history
Transferred from the India Museum in 1879. Slip book entry 2801: 'Muslin Scarf / Jamdanee / Dacca / 55 / Blue and White Flowered large size'
Associated object
0447(IS) (Part)
Bibliographic references
  • Arts of Bengal : the heritage of Bangladesh and eastern India : an exhibition organized by the Whitechapel Art Gallery in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum : 9 November-30 December 1979, Whitechapel Art Gallery ..., 12 January-17 February 1980, Manchester City Art Gallery ... . [London]: Whitechapel Art Gallery, [1979] Number: 085488047X (pbk.) : p.68
  • Ashmore, Sonia. "Muslin", London, V&A Publishing, 2012. p. 77, p. 96, pl. 22
Other number
2801 - India Museum Slip Book
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
9632(IS)

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdMarch 18, 2005
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O110511/sari-incomplete-sari-unknown/
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest